Dr. Ulrike Franke is an expert on European and German security and defence policy, podcaster, and public speaker.

Currently available for speaking engagements, media requests & writing enquiries (English, German, French).

Foto: Markus Hertrich

I am a senior associate fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), and affiliate at GovAI.

I podcast in German (Sicherheitshalber) and French (Le Collimateur: Le Casque et la Plume) about topics related to European security and defence.

I write a monthly column for World Politics Review. I also teach courses at Sciences Po Paris. At the moment, I am working on a book on drones.

Research

Education

My areas of focus are German and European security and defence, the future of warfare, and the impact of new technologies, specifically drones and AI on geopolitics and warfare, as well as the role of neutral countries in Europe’s defence. I also work on Franco-German defence and security cooperation, and UK-EU defence links.

I received my PhD in international relations from the University of Oxford, UK. In my thesis I studied the use of drones by western armed forces. I also hold a BA from Sciences Po Paris, France and a double MA from Sciences Po Paris and the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland.

Monthly Column for WPR

I write a monthly column for World Politics Review, where I discuss recent developments in drone and counter-drone technology, German and European defence policy, military-technological advancements and transatlantic security cooperation.

Sicherheitshalber Podcast

(German)

Collimateur Podcast

(French)

Together with Carlo Masala, Frank Sauer and Thomas Wiegold, I started Sicherheitshalber over eight years ago. Sicherheitshalber is Germany’s best-known podcast for security and defence topics and was awarded the Karl-Carstens-Preis für sicherheitspolitische Kommunikation in 2023. Twice a year we produce a TV version of the podcast in collaboration with Phoenix TV.

I am part of the Collimateur “Le Casque et la Plume” podcast team in which we discuss current geopolitical and defence developments.

Foto: Fabian Bimmer

Public Speaking

I am available for keynotes and other public speaking requests. I have given keynotes in the last year about the security situation in Europe, Germany’s rearmament efforts, the role of private companies in warfare, the history of drone warfare, current and future developments on drone warfare and military technology, and more.

I am represented by Chartwell Speakers.